Causes and symptoms of dehydration in the elderly

A person is considered as elderly when he or she passes 65 years of age. The elderly population is slowly increasing in most of the developed countries. This is mainly due increased life expectancy of people as a result of development of the modern medicine and health care facilities. Elderly care  is becoming more important topic with the increase of the elderly population. People face various diseases and abnormalities with aging. Their physiological, psychological and social functions are slowly deteriorating. These deteriorating functions exert many health effects on an elderly person. Dehydration is one such health effect that requires the attention of the care givers.

Elders become dehydrated due to several reasons.  Reduced intake of water is one of the commonest causes. With aging, many people find it difficult to walk and move frequently due to illnesses such as arthritis. Some elders have developed illnesses such as stroke which has made it impossible for them to move. Therefore, most of them are confined to a single place. This prevents them from taking water when they need. They prefer staying in the same place rather than moving to get water. Some elders suffer from illnesses like dementia which cause them to forget. In such instances, they loose track of their day to day activities. These people also forget to drink water even if they feel thirsty.

Most of the elders are on various kinds of medication for various kinds of diseases. Some of these drugs can also cause dehydration . Diuretics are examples of such drugs. Diuretics are given to people with some medical illnesses such as kidney disease, heart disease, liver disease etc. They increase urine out put. Therefore, they loose more water from their body. They become dehydrated, if they do not take enough water. Constipation is another common illness in the elderly. People are given laxatives to relieve constipation. One of the side effects of laxatives is dehydration. Senior citizens are also vulnerable to gastrointestinal disturbances such as vomiting and diarrhea. This is mostly due to their impaired ability to tolerate some of the foods. There immune system is also weak. This also makes them more vulnerable to gastrointestinal infections. Diarrhea and vomiting cause loss of large amount of fluid from the body making the person severely dehydrated.

Dehydration can have serious effects on the health of a person. Severe dehydration can even cause death. Therefore, it is very important that care givers of elderly persons know about the signs and symptoms of dehydration. A dehydrated person may complain of thirst, dry mouth, and dry tongue. They can also complain of cramping of arms or legs. They can sometimes complain of reduced urinary out put and dysuria (painful urination). Dehydration is the commonest cause for urinary tract infection. If they complain of painful urination, reduced urine out put, increased frequency of urination with or without fever, they may be having a urinary tract infection. In such instances, you should check the hydration status. Dehydration of the brain causes abnormalities of the brain activities. In such cases, the person may look confused, sleepy, dizzy and irritable.

A dehydrated person can be identified by several signs. Some of them are reduced skin elasticity, dry skin, shrunken eyes, cold extremities, increased capillary refill time, rapid thready pulse, low blood pressure and increased breathing. A severely dehydrated person can also present with convulsions. If you suspect dehydration in an elderly person, check for the above mentioned signs and symptoms. If they present, take immediate medical advice.